When Dreams Come True
by KittyKatBella
Summary: This is a story all about how my world got abducted by aliens. What happened, how I dealt with my fear and worries, and most importantly, how we escaped.
1. Abduction

I had tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen. They thought it was all a dream, but I knew it was real. They only believed me once it was too late. We had woke the next morning to see we were being carried through space.

Not all of them were bad. One even tried to help us, saying he himself was fed up with the ship. And he was the one we all least expected to even be an alien. But enough about that.

Here's what happened.

* * *

"DUDE, WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

I woke up to that scream. I tumbled out of bed, getting tangled up in my blankets. Sarah burst in, panic evident in her face. She grabbed my hand and, with me still wearing pajamas, dragged me out.

"Hurry, Jimmy!" Sarah cried.

"What's wrong, Sarah?" I asked, frowning, even though I was pretty sure I knew. My dream had been clear enough, I knew it would come true.

And it did.

The cul-de-sac was being carried through space by an 'Unidentified Flying Object' or a UFO.

"It's the aliens!" Jonny cried.

"Woah, fluffy was right," Kevin muttered, shocked.

"I tried to warn you all, but you wouldn't listen!" I yelled.

"ALIENS HAVE STOLEN THE CUL-DE-SAC!" Ed cried fearfully.

The last thing I remember was a green gas filling up the cul-de-sac before I blacked out.

* * *

I woke up in what looked like a cell, chains around my ankles. I could barely reach the walls.

"Sarah?!" I yelled, "Kevin? Double D? ANYONE?!"

I heard a faint moaning from my left. I looked over at the wall. Even though I couldn't see through it, I knew who was over there.

"Jimmy?" Sarah said quietly, "W-where are we?"

"I think we're on the space ship," I said, looking out the bars. The chains chaffed my ankles as I tried to pull against them. I winced and took a step back.

"Hey, fluffy?" I heard Kevin to my right.

"Kevin?" I said, scooting over to the right, "You're here?"

"We're all here," Jonny said. He sounded further to my right.

"Jonny?" I said. I peered closer at the shapes inside the other cells, "Nazz? Ed, Double D, Eddy? Bella?"

"Now that we've done roll call," Eddy rolled his eyes. Edd noticed something and looked around.

"Um, where's Rolf?" He asked.

"Rolf?" Bella spoke, looking around as best she could.

"He's not here," Sarah said.

"Oh no, the aliens took Rolf to do their hideous experiments on!" Ed cried fearfully.

"Hello, neighborhood nothings!" A familiar voice said cheerfully.

"Rolf?" Kevin said, looking out the bars of the cell. At least it LOOKED like Rolf. But whatever this was wasn't the foreign farm boy we knew.

It had Rolf's clothes and face, but his head was a purple squid, the one he had been wearing yesterday. But instead of a hat, like I said, it WAS his head! He was holding a wooden Sheppard's hook.

"Rolf, what happened to you?" I asked, shocked.

"Did the aliens turn you into one of them?!" Ed cried.

"Silly Ed-boy!" Rolf waved him off, "Rolf was with his family!"

"Wait, so you mean, you've been an alien this whole time?" Nazz asked.

"Yes, go-go bucket Nazz girl!" Rolf said, "Rolf and his family were sent to examine your humble cul-de-sac to see if it was fit for abduction."

"But why, Rolf?" Edd asked, "We accepted you. We made you feel welcome."

"Not Rolf's fault," Rolf shrugged, "Rolf received orders from the Great Sheppard Squid. Rolf truly did not want to inform the Great Sheppard Squid about Rolf's friends, but if he didn't, he would banish Rolf to the...cupboard."

Rolf shuddered.

"What's so bad about a stupid cupboard that you couldn't spare the lives of your friends?!" Kevin asked angrily.

"It is no simple cupboard, Kevin-boy," Rolf said, "The cupboard is a big dark room. One gets very little food for the time he's there. It's very scary."

Two other squid-people like Rolf walked up.

"Quit wasting time," One said, "Hurry up."

"Yes, Nano," Rolf said. The one Rolf had called Nano pulled out a ring of keys. The three of them each took three keys and unlocked our cells. Each one held the chains of three kids. Rolf held me, Nazz, and Ed. 'Nano' held Edd, Kevin, and Sarah. The other one, which I assumed was 'Nana' held Eddy, Bella, and Jonny. We started moving in three different directions, then I realized.

They were splitting us up!

"Sarah!" I cried, trying to reach for her, but Rolf had a strong grip.

"Jimmy!" She cried back, trying to kick the squid alien holding her. She left my sight as each group left the room, heading to different areas on the ship.


	2. Ten Years Later

"Happy birthday to me..."

I was singing the song quietly, under my breath. It wasn't even close to a 'happy' birthday. I hadn't seen her for ten years, why would it be?

It was lunch break on the space ship, if you could call it lunch. Made entirely of meat, I wasn't happy about it. I was a vegetarian, why would I be? Some people might like it, but not me.

Anyway, I was turning eighteen on this _joyous_ day. The closest I got to a birthday cake was this weird thing made of eggplant and pork. How the squid aliens survived on this stuff, I didn't know. I blew out the single candle and made a wish.

Every year I wished to see Sarah again, even just for a moment. But I knew that wouldn't happen. It's been ten years, I probably wouldn't even recognize her anymore. That sweet smile, the bright orange hair...it would probably be very different. I did miss her, though.

I slowly ate the food, trying to ignore the awful taste as I forced it down. I needed the energy. It was hard working on the farms everyday. Everyday new crops were constantly growing. They must use some sort of magic seeds or something. Harvesting crops was hard, but at least I didn't have to work in the animal factory.

I'm not talking about the animal farm, I'd give anything to work there. Tending the cute little animals, it would be a dream come true. Not that I _wanted_ a dream come true, after what had happened.

But the animal factory was where they killed the animals and made them into what was now sitting in front of my face.

"Lunch is over! Back to work!" The lunch guard shouted. His accent reminded me of Rolf's.

I twitched slightly in irritation. If it wasn't for _Rolf_ we wouldn't be here. He was our friend, and he sold us out like an auctioneer. Now we were doomed to spend our lives working on these farms, in space, far away from home. Home seemed as far away as the chances of seeing Sarah.

Me and the other workers- slaves, more like- trudged through the rows of food, looking for any that needed harvested or tended to. We started talking as we worked.

"Hey, did you hear about the break out in sector S?" Alex asked. He was my friend. After being on this ship for a while, you learn that having people close to you would benefit in the long run. You didn't want to be alone.

"Really?" I asked, recognizing the sector. I'd heard a bit about that sector.

"Yeah," Alex nodded, "Well, attempted break out. Apparently the person got caught. The Great Sheppard Squid sent them to the cupboard. I heard they got a two-year sentence."

My heart plummeted. I had thought that if someone else escaped the ship, then it wouldn't be a stretch for me to break out of sector H and find Sarah. But my hopes had been crushed. I fingered the bright orange suit covered in dirt. What I wouldn't give to be rid of it.

"Oh, that's horrible," I said.

"Yeah," Alex nodded in agreement. He noticed me frown, "Still thinking about that Sarah girl?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him. I slowly nodded.

"Dude, just let it go," Alex said, "As long as we're on this ship, I doubt you'll see her again."

"But what if I do?" I asked, not ready to give up hope, "What if..." I lowered my voice, "What if we _do_ escape?"

Alex's eyes widened in fear and he shushed me before quickly looking around. The guards were nowhere near right now.

"Dude, don't even joke about that," He hissed, "Or else you'll be sent to the cupboard."

I already didn't eat much, having even less to eat might just kill me. I sighed and continued working. Even if I knew I would never actually go through with them, I thought of different plans to escape. It gave with something else to focus on besides doing the same thing I had for ten years.

As I thought about my life and what it had become, I realized just how much I had changed. I was taller, no longer had that high-pitched voice of my childhood, I wasn't the boy who got constantly hurt. Just ten years ago I wouldn't go near a bug, but now look at me. Digging through the homes of hundreds of bugs and worms on a daily basis. Bugs were something I grew used to.

"So, happy birthday," Alex said as he worked, "I mean, not exactly 'happy' happy birthday, but still, not everyday you turn eighteen, huh?"

He gave me a small smile, and I smiled back. I don't care how old I got, I would always have that childish smile of mine.

"Yeah, big milestone," I laughed, "I've changed a lot."

"Yeah, you used to be a big baby," Alex said, "No offence.

"Oh, none taken," I shrugged it off, "It's true, I was. I wasn't exactly the strongest guy in the cul-de-sac. That was Ro-"

I stopped before I finished the name.

"Who?" Alex asked.

"Ed," I changed my answer, "He was really strong. It was almost like a super power. One time, he even lifted up an entire house!"

"Woah, no way," Alex shoved me playfully, "You're lying. No one's _that_ strong."

"Ed was," I said, "He was pretty cool. One time Sarah had to go to ballet class, so she left me with him and his friends. We had sort of a...brotherly bond, I guess you could say. After all, he was Sarah's brother."

"He sounds wicked," Alex said, "Wish I coulda met him."

"Yeah," I frowned sadly and quietly continued working. Ed was cool. And so were the others, even Edd and Eddy. If someone told me ten years ago I would miss the Eds, I'd have called them crazy. But here I was, wishing I could just fall for one of their scams one more time, to cry to Sarah what they did and have her beat them up. You start to appreciate the small things in life once you don't have one.

"Hey, how about we sneak out and get a proper dinner tonight?" Alex said, smirking mischievously. I tilted my head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You know they only give us the stuff that's not as good," Alex said, "How about we sneak into their meal room and steal ourselves some _real_ food?"

"Wouldn't we be banished to the cupboard?" I asked, worried.

"Only if they catch us," Alex said, nudging my arm, "Come on, it's the least you deserve. You're eighteen and have spent more than half your life on this God-forsaken slave ship. You deserve a meal."

"But they only eat meat, I don't see how it would be too much better than what I already have," I mumbled, pulling out an eggplant from the dirt.

"Ah, but you forget where all the vegetables go," Alex said, "We could just take a few veggies, no meat."

I smiled.

"That would be nice," I said, "Something other than poor animals."

"So it's settled," Alex said, "Tonight at lights out."

I nodded, still uneasy about this whole thing. Who knows what would happen if we got caught? Well, I did know, I guess. And it's only two words.

The cupboard.

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, just through here."

"If you get us lost-"

"I won't, now zip it!"

I stayed quiet as Sid led me and Alex through the hallways. It was just after lights out, so no one would be in the meal room. They'd be checking for anyone out and about past hours. I gulped as I thought about what would happen if they caught us here.

"Calm down, Jimmy, if anyone knows his way around the ship, it's Sid," Alex assured with a smile. I nervously smiled back.

"So how do you have all this knowledge about how the ship is laid out?" I asked, my voice hardly a whisper.

"Did some favors, worked as a guard for a few months," Sid shrugged, "I get around."

"Oh," I said, "A guard?"

"Yeah, you can do other jobs besides gardening and farming," Sid said, "Didn't you know?"

"Even after ten years, I haven't heard anything about it," I said, "If I did, I would have signed up for the animal barn."

"Signed up?" Sid laughed, "No, they assign you to it. Only the most responsible become guards."

"So why aren't you a guard anymore?" Alex asked.

"Like I said, I get around," Sid said, "They caught me sneaking someone somewhere I shouldn't and snatched the uniform right off of me. Ok, not really, but you get my point."

I nodded.

"So, you do anything besides farm?" Sid asked.

"Oh, well, I'm in the Urban Rangers," I answered. Even though Rolf wasn't the leader, like I'd want him to be, the Urban Rangers was still fun.

"I was in that once," Sid scoffed, "Not exactly what I'd call challenging. Hold up, it's right here."

We stopped at a door. Sid peaked in the window and motioned 'all clear.' He slowly opened the door and we snuck in. The fridge was in the back, filled to the brim with delicious vegetables. I was sure my mouth began to water as we each took an arm full. Sid pulled out bags and we poured the plants in, careful not to drop any. This was my birthday dinner, after all.

Suddenly, we heard the door close. Before we could react, a pair of arms reached out from behind each of us and held our hands behind our backs. The bags of vegetables dropped, the food itself rolling out across the floor. I felt like crying. That was going to be the first _food_ I would have had for years. I gave Sid a look that clearly said 'I thought you said the coast was clear!'

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Alex snapped, trying to kick the guy holding him.

"Ain't nothing personal kid, it's just business," Said the guy holding me. Wait a minute, that voice sounded...familiar, "Guy's gotta make a living in this dump, y'know?"

"Hold up, I know that voice!" I said. It was a little deep, but recognizable nonetheless, "Eddy! It's me, Jimmy!"

"Curly-Q?"

And there's that nickname only he called me.

"Yeah!" I nodded, "It's me!"

"Hold up, boys," Eddy said. Through the dim light I could see Ed and Edd. They let Alex and Sid loose. I swung around to get a better look at Eddy. He definitely wasn't short anymore. He was a lot taller, and had a bit more hair.

"Wow, you've changed," We both said at the same time before breaking out in laughter.

"So, you went from dolly-hugger to food-stealer, huh?" He asked, leaning against the wall.

"Hey man, the guy wanted a proper birthday dinner, what's the big deal?" Alex snapped.

"Happy birthday, Jimmy!" Ed cried happily, surprising me from behind and pulling me into a rib-crushing hug.

"So, Ed hasn't...changed a...bit," I gasped as he set me down.

"Yeah, not a lot of light bulbs up there," Eddy said.

"But he's still the sweet Ed we knew as kids," Edd put it, "Wish I could say the same for the rest of us."

"What do you-" I began before remembering something, "Hey, Double D, you were dragged off with Sarah, weren't you? Have you seen her? Where is she? Has she said anything about me?"

Double D bit his lip.

"Thing is, Jimmy, they move kids around, y'know?" He said, "I was put into sector E about eight years ago. Same with Ed and Eddy. Haven't heard about her since."

"Oh yeah, I remember Ed leaving, too," I said, "After about a year or so."

"Yeah, and we rarely go into any other sectors," Eddy said, "Usually just the halls and back here."

"Oh," My face fell.

"Hey, didn't Nazz go with you two?" Eddy asked.

"Yeah, sometimes we bump into each other," I said, "Not too often, though. She works in the animal barn."

"Oh," Eddy said, "So how you been, kid?"

"Not very good," I said, "I hate this place."

"Gotta agree with you there," Edd said.

"I have no more monster comics!" Ed sobbed.

"Hey, how's Bella?" I asked, "Is she still writing?"

Eddy frowned and looked down, not answering.

"She...stayed back in sector J," Edd answered for him.

"I haven't seen her since," Eddy said quietly. I frowned.

"Aw, I'm sorry," I said.

"So, who are these clowns and tell me why I shouldn't punch them all in the stomach?" Sid asked in a growl.

"They're my old friends," I answered quickly, noticing his hands becoming fists.

"Friends?" Eddy laughed, "That's a stretch, don't you think, Curly-Q?"

"Hey, better say friends than 'the ones who tried to scam me out of all my money', don't you think?" I whispered, "Sid's got a temper."

"Ah," Eddy said, "Ok."

"Besides, I actually miss those days," I said.

"Never thought I'd hear those words come from anyone's mouth," Edd said. I laughed.

"Yeah, well-"

Voices were heard coming down the hall.

"Quick, hide!" Eddy hissed, "We can't lose our job because of you guys!"

Me, Alex, and Sid quickly hid in the closet just as a group of alien squid guards entered.

"Hallo, guard-boy-Eds," The one in front said. I gritted my teeth at him.

"Hello, boss," Edd greeted. _Boss?_

"Any trouble in Rolf and friends' meal room?" He asked.

"No sir, just keeping guard," Eddy said, "Nothing here."

He, Edd, and Ed stepped in front of the spilled bags of veggies.

"What is Rolf's family's produce doing all over the floor?" Rolf asked, anger evident in his voice.

"Oh, uh, we were just..." Eddy tried to think of an excuse.

"Taking inventory and you surprised us," Edd said.

"And Jimmy and his friends were trying to take it," Ed said. Eddy slapped him in the back of the head.

"Ed you idiot!" Eddy glared.

"The boy Jimmy?!" Rolf cried. Eddy looked at him nervously.

"Uh, don't listen to Ed, boss," He laughed and started sweating, "Uh, he didn't get much sleep last night, he's been saying random shit all day."

Rolf eyed them and I crossed my fingers, hoping he wouldn't think of checking the closet.

"Well, alright," Rolf said slowly, "Just pick up Rolf's produce! The Urban Rangers will be using them for their challenges tomorrow!"

"Yes sir!" The Eds said, giving the Urban Rangers sign. Rolf and his friends left.

"Urban losers," Eddy grumbled quietly. He turned around and looked at the closet, "Sockhead, lumpy, get the vegetables cleaned up!"

"You got it, Eddy!" Ed said.

"You know, I wish you wouldn't call us those degrading name after ten years," Edd said, crossing his arms. Eddy growled.

"Just clean up the vegetables!" He yelled. He opened the closet door and me, Alex, and Sid toppled out in a pile. I got up first and hugged Eddy.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I repeated.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Eddy asked, "Turn in my friend?"

I looked up at him. He was smiling. I smiled wider. Here I was, calling Eddy my friend. Who would have thought?

"Now hurry and get home before they come back," He said.

"Ok," I said, gathering up a few carrots before rushing off with Alex and Sid.

"Bye Jimmy!" Ed said a little loudly.

"Shut it, monobrow!" Eddy snapped, "Jimmy wasn't here, _remember?"_

"Ok, there's a back way right through here," Sid said, "If we take it, we won't get caught."

We snuck quietly through the twisting hallways before reaching the home-quarters. Each was shared with four to five people. Sid left us there as me and Alex walked back to our home-quarters. We crept inside so we didn't wake anyone up. We went to our bunk bed and Alex climbed up top.

"Happy birthday," Alex whispered, taking a carrot from the few I had grabbed. He bit into it, and unfortunately woke everyone up.

"Hey, where were you guys?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah, we were worried," Jake said.

"We stayed up to see if you came back," Nick said.

"We thought you had been sent to the cupboard for some reason," Jerry said

"Oh, you stayed up?" I asked. They nodded.

"We were just getting Jimmy's birthday dinner," Alex said, grabbing a handful of carrots and throwing one to each boy, "Enjoy, everyone. We risked our freedom for those carrots."

"Awesome!" Jake said.

"Thanks, dudes," Nick said, taking a bite.

"Best food I've had in year," Jerry said.

I smiled. These boys had become sort of like my family in these past few years. You know, in a way I thank Rolf. If it weren't for him, I never would have met these guys. They were awesome.

"So, happy birthday," Jake said.

"Yeah, the big one-eight," Nick said, hanging his head upside-down.

"Hey, how long you've been on this thing, anyway? Jerry asked, "We met you five years ago, but I don't think that's the whole time you've been here."

"Well, I started out in sector Z for a while, then my friend Ed moved to sector E," I began to explain, "A year after that I moved to sector F, and then I finally moved here with my friend Nazz."

"And then we met you," Alex smiled, "We've been together for our whole life."

"Really?" I asked, surprised, "Were you born on the ship?"

"Nah, got abducted at around twelve," Nick said.

"We're brothers," Jerry said, "We never told you?"

"No," I shook my head.

"Oh," Jake said, "Well, we should get some shut-eye. Work again tomorrow."

"Yeah," I groaned, "G'night, guys."

Everyone laid down and tried to sleep. I closed my eyes, and for the first time in ten years, I had a craving for Belly Bomb Bon Bons for some reason.


	3. After All This Time

_I was walking around in a wonderful colorful world. I bounded past fields of wildflowers, tall sunflowers, and even fields of corn._

 _"Good day, world!" I yelled cheerfully. I noticed a train and climbed aboard. It chugged past a field of lollypops. It reminded me of my sweet, sweet childhood. I took one and licked it cleaned. I tossed the stick aside as we rode past a mountain of ice cream next to a lake of hot chocolate. Riding on marshmallow rafts were Alex, Jerry, Jake, and Nick. They waved to me._

 _"Hey, Jimmy!" Alex greeted._

 _"We're on our day off!" Jake said._

 _"Have you tried this hot chocolate?" Jerry asked, using a straw to drink the lake._

 _"I'm afraid I haven't," I said. I waved goodbye, "I'm sorry, but I must move on. Goodbye!"_

 _AS the train rode on, I heard them say goodbye to me. I saw we were coming up on an orchard of jawbreaker trees. Leaning against the trees were the three Eds, sucking on the treat growing above them._

 _"Hey Curly-Q!" Eddy waved._

 _"Want one, Jimmy?" Edd asked, "They're ripe for the picking!"_

 _"I'm fine," I said, smiling._

 _"Sorry about almost getting you caught!" Ed said, waving._

 _"All is forgiven, Ed!" I said, "How's your new comic?"_

 _"The best!" Ed said, holding out a comic book. The train stopped at a station made of gingerbread and I hopped off. I know I was eighteen, but this was wonderland! I walked into the old cul-de-sac, the houses a familiar and welcome sight. I saw someone I had been thinking about for ten years._

 _"It's Sarah!" I gasped, running forward, "Oh my gosh Sarah, I haven't seen you in forever!"_

 _Just as I was about to reach her, our surroundings changed. We were now in the ship that was the last thing welcome in my world. Sarah looked...different. She looked thinner. She wore a black suit and her bright orange hair was caked in dirt, tangled and messy. It could go down to her waist, I could tell, but she had it up in a tight ponytail made into a bun._

 _"Sarah?" I gasped, skidding to a halt. I bumped into her._

 _"Watch where you're going!" She snapped, shoving me to the side and running. I saw alien squid guards chase after her, pitchforks in their hands._

 _"Sarah, look out!" I cried. The aliens surrounded her, and she tried to fight them off, but there were too many. An endless amount joined the huddle around her until I saw her no more. Only the pitchforks being thrust into the circle._

 _"SARRRRRAAAHHHHHHHHH..."_

* * *

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

I woke up yelling and sweating. I sat straight up, panting. I looked around and saw everyone staring at me.

"Hey, keep it down in there!" A guard snapped, "The roosters have barely begun to crow, yes?!"

"Dude, what was that all about?" Alex asked from above me.

"I-I...nightmare, Sarah. Guards. Pitchforks," I stuttered. I couldn't get the words out.

"Hey hey hey, chill out," Jerry said, "It was just a dream."

"Now quiet down, I'm trying to sleep," Jake said rather rudely as he laid back down. The rooster crowed loudly and he hit his head on the upper bunk as he sat up. He rubbed his head, grumbling.

"For the love of God," He growled.

We got up and got dressed, heading to the meal room. We had a breakfast of some sort of meat. I tried not to think about what harmless, defenceless animal I was eating as I ate the food. Today I was at Urban Rangers, so I would see Jonny. He was still in the Urban Rangers. Maybe I could tell him about my dream. He seemed to believe me last time.

"Breakfast is over!" The guard announced.

The others shuffled to the farms, but I walked to where the Urban Rangers meetings were held, right after changing into my Urban Rangers uniform.

I quickly arrived at the Urban Rangers meet up. I got in line next to Jonny and did the Urban Rangers salute. Our leader, thankfully not Rolf, got in front of us.

"Urban Rangers!" He spoke, "Today you will be earning the Feast Badge. You will take these-" He motioned to the veggies and other cooking supplies, "And make the food fit for a king. Victor will taste the attempts at food. The Ranger with the best meal will earn the badge."

We got to work on cooking. Me and Jonny teamed up so we could talk while cooking.

"Hey, Jonny," I said to him, "I need to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Sure buddy, anything," Jonny smiled.

"I had a dream last night," I said, "Sorta like that one dream I had when we were first abducted."

"Really?" Jonny asked, "What about? The space ship being abducted?"

He laughed at his joke, but I stayed silent.

"No, something else," I sighed, "I saw Sarah again, but she was different. She looked...bad, Jonny. Just bad. And miserable. But she didn't even recognize me. She just shoved past and then the alien guards caught her. It felt so real, like it would happen."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Jonny waved it off, "You just miss her, that's all."

I frowned.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, getting back to work, "Pass me the sugar, will you?"

"Sure thing, Jimmy!" Jonny smiled and did so.

The Urban Rangers meeting wasn't nearly as exciting as it usually was. I was always so happy to be out of the fields and working with the Urban Rangers, but not this time.

* * *

On my way home, the new badged pinned to my sash, I had my hands deep in my pockets. I stared at the ground in front of me, thinking.

It had seemed so real. There was no way it was just a dream. It wasn't just because I missed her. Well, I did, but that's not what caused the dream. As I walked, I heard bits and pieces of other people's conversations, and they all seemed to be about the same thing.

"...escape from sector S…"

"...took her to the cupboard…"

"...she escaped the cupboard!"

I stopped in my tracks and spun around to face the speaker.

"Yeah, I heard she was last seen in sector I," Another person said.

Sector I? But that's right next to sector H...Maybe...

No, I shouldn't get my hopes up. What were the chances? Farer away than home, that's what the chances were. I continued to walk home, but I couldn't get my mind off of what I had just heard. I was so distracted I accidently bumped into someone.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not looking up.

"Watch where you're going!" The person snapped. The voice was one in a million. I spun around. Standing there in front of me, as if out of a dream, was her!

I say as if out of a dream because she looked just like she did in my dream. Black outfit, hair caked with dirt, tied up in a ponytail bun. There was no mistaking her.

"Sarah!" I cried, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.

"HEY, what do you think you're doin'?!" She yelled. I frowned and let go of her.

"Sarah, it's me, Jimmy," I said.

"I know a lot of Jimmy's, kid, gotta be specific," Sarah said, dusting off her outfit.

"How do you not remember me?" I asked, "We were childhood friends! We played together all the time."

"I left my childhood behind nearly ten years ago," Sarah mumbled.

"But Sarah, don't you remember that little boy you hung out with?" I asked, trying to jog her memory, "Blue shirt, white pants? You were his guardian!"

"Jimmy Wells?" Sarah said, looking up and taking a good look at me for the first time. I nodded, "How do I know you're not just some guard in disguise trying to lead me to the cupboard?"

"It's true!" I pleaded.

"If it is, tell me something only the real Jimmy would know," Sarah said. I took a deep breath.

"We played with dolls all the time, your favorite was Dolly Poo Poo, you would blow up at the Eds all the time, you were my guardian angel, you were the only one to stand up to the Kankers, you stuck up for me, cared for me, tended my boo-boos, and we did everything together!" I said quickly, letting out a puff of air at the end and taking a deep breath.

"Any of that could be on a file or something like that written by Rolf," Sarah said. I bit my lip as she began to leave. I blurted out the last thing that I never wanted to say in my whole entire life.

"You had a crush on Double D!"

Sarah stopped dead and turned around, shocked.

"I've never told that to anyone," She said, "Except...Jimmy."

I nodded, smiling and crying tears of joy.

"It...it really is you," She said, walking up to me. I stood there, waiting for something. Finally, she hugged me, "Oh Jimmy, I thought I'd lost you. I never really gave up hope, though."

"Me either," I sniffed, "I always hoped, dreamed-"

I stopped. Even the word wasn't associated with good things anymore.

"How'd you get here?" I asked.

"Well, I-" Sarah stopped as a guard was heard.

"Where'd she go?!"

"She's around here somewhere!"

"Uh oh," Sarah frowned, "They're after me, Jimmy. I gotta hide!"

"Let's get you out of here!" I said, pulling her along to my home quarters. We hurried in the door and slammed it shut. Sarah slid below the windows. I looked outside as a guard walked past.

"Coast is clear," I whispered. We walked over to my bed and sat down.

"So, like I was saying," Sarah began, "It started just a few months ago. I was getting just about fed up with this place. The work, the stupid squid alien people, Rolf betraying us, the food, having no freedom, Rolf betraying us, not seeing you, not seeing Ed or the others, and Rolf betraying us."

Wow, she was really stuck on that.

"Anyway, I started planning an escape. I figured that I could trust no one. So I planned alone. After my chores were done, I would sit in my room, alone, looking at blueprints and maps I had gotten from this guy named Sid-"

"I know Sid!" I said, "He helped me sneak into the meal room to steal veggies for my birthday meal!"

"Wow, really?" Sarah asked, "He does get around. He wasn't lying when he said he'd been through all the sectors. I guess I should have had him help after all. But after he said he used to be a guard, I didn't trust him. So I did it myself. I planned for a long time. Months. Then I finally decided to put my plan into action. But I got caught, and thrown in the cupboard."

"How'd you fail?" I asked, "I mean, it seemed so planned out."

"I got distracted," Sarah sighed, "I was about to sneak out and fly off, I was that close. But then I thought about how I would be leaving you and the others behind, stuck on this Hell. I hesitated for a second, and that second was all the guards needed to spot me and throw me into the cupboard."

I frowned.

"How'd you escape the cupboard?" I asked.

"Wasn't that hard," Sarah shrugged, "I waited till it was feeding time, (I had to memorized the schedule first, so that took a week or two) then I punched the guy in the face and ran off. It's weird, you would think there would be more guards for something so important as the cupboard."

"So is that why you're so...skinny?" I asked, looking down at her. She nodded just as her stomach grumbled.

"Oh, you poor thing," I frowned, "I still have some carrots left from yesterday." I pulled the orange vegetable out from under my pillow, "I know how much you like vegetables."

Sarah smiled and slowly took the carrots from my hand, taking a bite of one.

"Thanks, Jimmy," She said, "That's really sweet."

"It's the least I could do, girlfriend," I smiled back.


	4. Seems Risky

"So, what are you planning to do now?" I asked as Sarah munched on the carrots.

"I plan to find every one of the cul-de-sac kids and bring them home," Sarah said, "Well, back to Earth, anyway. The aliens dug up the actual cul-de-sac."

"How are you going to do that?" I asked, "That would take an immense amount of planning! Not to mention the..." I counted on my fingers all the names I could remember, "Seven- well, nine plus you and me- eighteen to twenty-two year olds you have to get past the guards."

"But with teamwork from people I actually trust..." Sarah looked at me, determination in her eyes, "We might pull it off. I know for a fact Kevin used to be a guard, but got fired for helping others escaped, for he knows loads. And he's great at fighting, so that's a plus. Jonny is great at distractions, and me and Bella talk on a daily basis-"

"Wait, what?" I said, snapping my head up, "Bella?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded, "She got moved to sector S, she said a few months after Eddy left sector J and moved to E."

"Oh, this is perfect!" I said happily, clapping, "I know where Eddy is, he'll be so happy!"

"And Bella seemed really depressed about it, too," Sarah said, "This'll boost her spirits right up! But how are we going to bring them to a place where they can meet? Security has boosted since I escaped sector S."

"Oh, this is perfect!" I said, "Eddy, Ed, and Double D are guards now! If we want to keep it a surprise I can just tell him that someone is trying to escape section S and then they'll meet up."

"And I can tell Bella I need to show her something," Sarah said, "And then leave to go get it, and then Eddy will show up-"

"And they'll be so happy!" I finished with a smile. Sarah got up and started pacing.

"This'll take a lot of planning," She said, "I'm wanted throughout the entire ship, so going anywhere is a challenge. And we'll have to make sure no one else- and by no one I mean no guards- are around so that they aren't caught."

"I think we might just pull that off," Alex said, appearing in the doorway. Sarah jumped up and pulled out what looked like two garden hose ends tied together to make nunchucks.

"Is he friend or foe?" Sarah asked me.

"Sarah, calm-"

"Is he friend or foe, Jimmy?!"

"Friend! Friend!"

Sarah put her nunchucks away and sat back down.

"Sorry about that, being on the run puts your guard up, y'know?" She said.

"Hey, are you that one that escaped from sector S?" Alex asked, walking over and climbing up on his bunk.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" Sarah snapped.

"Hey, chill, I just think it's cool," Alex said. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, everyone on the ship is talking about it," Alex said, "I heard that you were about to fly off when the guards caught you."

"Yeah, I was about to-" Sarah stopped, "Wait a sec, everyone on the ship?"

"Yeah, from sectors A to Z," Alex said, "It's the first time someone's gotten so close. And then you escaping from the cupboard? It's never been done before!"

Sarah blushed.

"Yeah, well, it was for my friend," She said quietly.

"So, what about the meeting?" Alex said, clasping his hands together.

* * *

I ran through the halls, looking for him. I knew he was around here somewhere, but where, exactly? I took a look at the blueprints of this area of the ship. According to them, the guard break room should be right around...

"Here," I looked up at the door. No one was inside, so I quietly snuck in and hid in the closet. It took a few hours, but eventually the Eds showed up.

"Did you see his face?" Eddy was laughing.

"Honestly Eddy, it wasn't funny," Edd scolded, "You shouldn't scare the newcomers like that."

"Hey, who's the boss here?" Eddy snapped.

"Eddy's the man!" Ed said cheerfully. I slowly opened the door.

"Eddy, Eddy!" I cried, coming out. They all turned around and pulled out pitchforks, but settled once seeing it was just me.

"Jimmy, what are you doing here?!" Eddy hissed, looking out the window, "It's broad daylight!"

"I know, but Eddy!" I pressed on, "There's an escape from sector S going on!"

"What?" Eddy looked shocked, "Ok, thanks. C'mon, boys!"

Wait, Ed and Edd couldn't go! It was only supposed to be Eddy and Bella!

"Wait, no!" I cried, "Ed and Double D can't go!"

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Eddy asked suspiciously. Friend or not, I had a feeling he would turn me in if he had a good enough reason.

"Because, uh..." I tried to think, "It's only one little kid, Eddy could take him on by himself. Besides, you might, uh get a raise or something if you take him on alone. Besides, I also heard someone was going to try to steal more food."

"Hey, good point," Eddy said, "Ok, Sockhead, Lumpy, you stay here and guard the place. C'mon Jimmy, show me where."

I led Eddy to the spot me and Sarah had agreed upon.

"Right through there," I pointed. I couldn't see Sarah or Bella from here, but I assumed they were there. I hurried around to the other side and saw Sarah hiding while Bella stood in the lane, leaning against the wall.

"Come on, Sarah, I got things to do," I heard her mumble.

"I got him, Sarah," I whispered.

She nodded but stayed silent. We watched as Eddy snuck over, not yet seeing it was Bella.

"No one escapes on my watch," Eddy muttered quietly. I saw Bella's ears perk up as she looked around nervously.

"O-ok Sarah, it would be nice if you got here now," Bella said nervously. I heard Eddy gasp and look around the corner.

"Bella?" He said. Bella jumped and spun around, claws at the ready, but before she could see who it was, she saw the guard uniform and panicked. She ran off.

"Bella, wait!" I cried, but Sarah pulled me back.

"Hey, wait!" Eddy yelled, running after her. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm, but she ended up stomping on his foot.

"I'm not doing anything, I'm just waiting for a friend!" She cried, "I don't know who escaped from my sector, it wasn't anyone I know! Ok, maybe it was, but I had nothing to do with it!"

"Bella, shut up!"

Bella turned around and finally saw who it was.

"Eddy?" She whispered. He nodded, rubbing his foot.

"First of all, what the Hell?" He said, "Second-"

He stood up and kissed her. For a while, too.

"Dio, I've missed you," Bella sobbed, breaking down in his arms. He rubbed her back and kissed her head.

"Where have you been?" He asked. Bella wiped her tears off.

"W-well, not really anywhere," She said, "I moved to sector S a few months after you moved to sector E."

"After ten years, I never thought I'd see you again," Eddy murmured, pulling her closer, "Wait, you said you know who escaped sector S?"

Bella's eyes snapped open and she leaned back a little, nervous.

"Alright yes, but there was nothing I could do to talk her out of it!" She said, "I just woke up one morning and she was gone! I really hoped she wouldn't get caught, but then I heard she did."

"And then she escaped the cupboard," Eddy said quickly, "Who it is? I'm not completely sure myself, no one's told me. All I know is she's from sector S, and that's not much to go off of if I have to catch her."

Bella seemed to finally remember why she ran in the first place.

"Wait, you're a guard?" She asked, then laughed slightly, "Jeez, never thought you, of all people-"

"Yeah yeah, it's very unlike me," Eddy said, "Whatever. The point is, I need to know who it was that escaped. If I catch them, I get a promotion."

"I'm the one who escaped."

"Sarah, no!"

"Jimmy, shush!"

I stayed quiet but stood up with her. Eddy looked over at us.

"You?" He asked. Sarah nodded.

"Eddy, please don't arrest her!" Bella begged, "She's the only one I've had this whole time, after you moved, and she helped cheer me up-"

"Yeah, and I felt terrible with what I was doing," Sarah said. Eddy raised an eyebrow, "Let me explain."

"One minute, go," Eddy said.

"I wanted to escape, I really did," Sarah began to explain quickly, "But when I was about to fly off, I realized that I was leaving the rest of you here to be doomed for eternity. I thought of all of you- Bella, you, Ed, Double D, Jimmy, Nazz, Kevin, Jimmy, Jonny-"

"Uh, you said my name twice," I said quietly.

"Did I?" Sarah plushed, "Point is, I couldn't leave you all behind. Scams or not, you may get on my last nerves, but you're my friend, Eddy. You all were. It just took me ten years to realize it."

"That was actually...really nice," Eddy said, "You risked your life for us."

"Yeah," Jimmy nodded, "And she's been through Hell and back, please don't send her back through it."

"I won't," Eddy said, "I might lose my job for it, though."

"But if you help us plan an escape for all of us, then we can go back to Earth!" Sarah said.

"Count me in, I'd do anything to see my papa again," Bella said.

"Oh no you don't," Eddy said, "Bella, if you get caught, they won't give two damns about what I have to say about it, they'll throw you all in the cupboard. I'm not losing you again."

"But Eddy, we could all go home," Bella said.

"Fine, but we're not officially in until you come up with a good enough plan to get us out of here," Eddy said.

"We need someone with inside information, though," I said, "Someone who knows the ship inside and out, someone who can get the blueprints we need, someone who can get into places the rest of us can't."

"Fine, I'll give you Sockhead and Lumpy," Eddy said, "Double D's smart enough he knows all those things, and Ed...I'm sure he'll be useful. They're not as high a level as me so they won't get as punished."

"This all seems very risky," Bella said.

"We need someone with trained combat skills," I said, "Someone great at fighting, someone who's not a guard."

"Talk to Kevin," Bella said, "I visited him in sector R once while doing some stuff. He's been practicing a lot."

"What were you doing in sector R?" Eddy asked. Bella shrugged.

"Stuff," She said simply.

"Well, that's perfect," Sarah said, "I can get into sector R easily enough. It'll be convincing Kevin to help us."

"I'm sure he'll help," I said, "He wants to get home just as much as we do."

"Ok, so, here's what you have to do," Bella said, "During free time, he's always in the gym area. You can find him there, but be careful. There's a lot of guards at the gym."

"How are you at sector R so much you know about all this?" Eddy asked, holding back a laugh.

"Hey, this place is huge, you best believe Imma do some exploration in here," Bella said. Eddy laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Still my girlfriend," He said. I smiled and turned to Sarah.

"You should go now," I said, "If you do, you can probably make it to sector R in time for free time."

"Good idea Jimmy, I'll be able to talk to him today," Sarah said.

"Hurry up," Eddy said, "If any of the guards know I was talking to you, who knows what'll happen. You're the most wanted person on this ship."

"Maybe I'd better come with you, Sarah," I said, "An extra pair of eyes is always useful."

"I guess," Sarah said, "Just be careful, Jimmy. I've been doing this for years. You haven't."


	5. Seeing Kevin

Me and Sarah snuck through sector S and straight to sector R. Sarah was right about it being easy to sneak in to. For some reason, not that many guards were near the entrance.

"All the guards are at the farms, watching the others," Sarah whispered, "Now is our only chance to get in."

I nodded silently.

"But first we need to distract these guards," Sarah said. I thought for a second then stepped out in front of them, "Jimmy, what are you doing?!"

"Um, excuse me, sirs," I said timidly. They turned around and held out their pitchforks.

"Who goes there?!" They yelled.

"Um, I-I think I saw that one girl that escaped sector S," I said, "N-Near sector U."

"Really?" One asked, "Come, Gothar's fellow guards!"

They ran off to sector U and I smiled.

"It's all safe, Sarah," I whispered. She stood up and slowly walked over.

"That was a great idea, Jimmy," Sarah said, smiling.

"It was nothing," I waved it off with a blush.

We snuck through very carefully and the guards announced chores were over. The workers filed out and we easily blended in with the crowd. Sarah kept her head down and tried to keep her face hidden.

"Try this," I whispered, pulling the hair band out of her hair and letting it fall in front of her face.

"Thanks, Jimmy," She said. I smiled and we snuck into the gym. It didn't take long for us to spot Kevin. He was using one of the punching bags and looked a lot stronger than ten years ago. We walked over, Sarah nervous to be in the open like this.

"Kevin?" I spoke, Sarah hiding behind me. He glanced over at me and stopped punching the punching bag.

"Fluffy?" He said, "Is that you?"

I nodded.

"Hey, good to see ya," Kevin said, "What are you doin' all the way in sector R?"

"Well, we need some help," I said. Sarah looked out from behind me.

"You can't tell anyone I was here," She hissed.

"Hey, Sarah, you're here, too?" Kevin asked quietly. She nodded, "Cool. So, what do you need help with? And make it quick, I was kinda doing something."

He growled slightly and hit the punching bag again, hard. I took a closer looked and saw it had a picture of Rolf's face on it.

"Still mad at Rolf?" I asked. I doubt any of us weren't, maybe with the exception of Jonny.

"Duh," Kevin growled, punching the bag again, "We were best friends, and he-"

He didn't finish as he punched the bag again.

"Yes, ok, but we really do need your help," I repeated, "We're thinking of..." I looked around and lowered my voice, "Breaking out."

He knocked the bag right off the hook and two guards came over and replaced it before going back to the entrance.

"You're _what_?" He whispered.

"Breaking out," I repeated in a quieter voice.

"Count me in," Kevin said, "But not without Nazz. I haven't seen her in a long time, but we're not leaving her here."

"Don't worry, we'll getting the others, too," I said, "Bella, Jonny, Nazz, and the Eds."

"The Eds?" Kevin said, "Really?"

"I know you hate them, but you really wouldn't leave them here, would you?" Sarah asked in a whispered.

"No, I guess not," Kevin mumbled, "As long as I can punch Rolf once before we leave."

"Don't worry," Sarah said, "If our plan works out, we'll all be able to get a hit on that traitor."

"Sweet," Kevin smiled, "So, do you even know where the others are?"

"Well, Nazz is in my sector, sector H," I said, "The Eds are guards, Bella's in sector S, and I don't know where Jonny is, but we're in the Urban Rangers together."

"The Urban Rangers?" Kevin asked, "You're still _in_ that, even after what Rolf did?"

"He's not the leader in our group," I said quickly, "Like I'd want him to be."

"Oh," Kevin said. He taped another picture of Rolf on the punching bag before punching it again.

"Hey, mind if I give that a try?" Sarah asked.

"Sure, go right ahead," Kevin shrugged. Sarah pulled her fist back and hit so hard, the bag fell off again and crashed against the wall. Kevin stared, mouth open. So did I.

"Damn," He said, "You're really strong."

"She's still on the Rolf thing," I whispered, "A _lot_."

"That's what I'm going to do next time I see that-" Sarah growled. A guard came over to fix the bag and noticed Sarah.

"HEY!" He yelled, "You're the human that escaped the S sector! Gerry would know facial anywhere!"

"Oh crap," Sarah gulped.

"Quick, run!" Kevin said. He kicked the guard in the stomach and me, him, and Sarah ran off, the two of them beating off the guards and me trying to keep up. I wasn't nearly as fit as them.

"THEY'RE ESCAPING!"

"GET THEM!"

We ran for a while before hiding in Kevin's home quarters.

"Great, now we're all wanted," He panted, sliding down the wall.

"What do we do, Sarah?" I asked in a panic.

"We hide, that's what," Sarah said, "We can't go to our own home quarters. They'll be expecting us at one of yours and I'm so wanted even the people I share home quarters with will rat me out."

"Where do we go?" Kevin asked, standing up, "We don't have anyway to stay."

"The Eds," I said, taking a step forward, "If they're guards now, they'll have somewhere for us to stay. Plus, they'll be able to get into different sections."

"What makes you think they'll help us?" Kevin asked, "They hate me, I'm not sure about you two."

"They want to escape just as much as we do," Sarah said.

"Well, I guess," Kevin shrugged.

"I'll be able to get from them where Jonny is," I said, "I know from Sid that there's records on every single kid in here, what sector they're in now and what sectors they used to be in."

"Wow, every kid?" Kevin asked, "That's gotta be at least...over two thousand kids, right?"

"A lot," Sarah said, "But they're most probably organized by name or something."

"First or last?" I asked, "Cuz by first, there's probably a lot of kids with names starting with J, but if it's by last, there's not many kids with the last name '2x4'."

"It's by last," Kevin said, "I tried looking for Nazz once, but I couldn't figure out how to spell her last name."

"Ok, so that's a lot easier," Sarah said, "Let's go ask them. Do you know where they are?"

"I think in the guard break room," I said, "Or at the very least, they'll be there eventually today."

"Ok, so let's go," Kevin said.

"Three people sneaking around in broad daylight through the halls that are 'guards and squid aliens only' is not a good idea," Sarah said, "One of us should go and the other two should stay hidden."

They both looked at me.

"Me?" I said, shocked.

"You're the only that's probably the least wanted," Kevin said, "Sarah tried to escape and did pretty f*ck*ng well at it and the guards keep a pretty close eye on me as it is, what with me hitting a punching bag with Rolf's face with extreme force."

"But I'm also the only one here who can't even fight back!" I cried, "If they find me, I have no chance! If they find one of you, at least you can beat them off!"

"Maybe one of us should come with you after all," Kevin said.

"I'll go," Sarah said, "He knows the way and I know how to fight. And planning an escape and sneaking around for a year makes it easy to hide."

"So let's go, we can't waste a single second," I said.

* * *

We were sneaking through the halls, right towards the guard break room. The Eds were already there, talking.

"I'm telling you guys, I really do owe him a lot," Eddy said.

"How was she?" Edd asked, "I've missed her as well."

"Hasn't changed a bit," Eddy smiled lightly. I knocked on the door. Eddy opened it and looked down the halls before pulling us in.

"Hey guys," Eddy said.

"Hey," Sarah waved.

"Is that-?" Edd began.

"BABY SISTER!" Ed shouted happily, pulling Sarah into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ed, keep it down!" Sarah hissed, "I'm the most wanted person on this ship, and if you get me caught, I'm still going to punch you."

Sarah hugged Ed back anyway.

"Sarah, _you're_ the one we're after?" Edd asked, walking over.

"Yeah, but we're not turning her in," Eddy said, "She got caught because she thought about how she was leaving us behind."

"And I'm risking my life for you again," Sarah said as Ed set her down, "For all of you. We have Kevin and Nazz, but we need to know where Jonny is."

"I see him in Urban Rangers, but I don't know his sector," I explained, "We need to look through the records to find him."

"The records, huh?" Eddy rubbed his head, "Gee, Curly-Q, I dunno. Those are, like, top secret. I don't think I can get in there."

"I could," Edd said, stepping forward, "I'm in there once a month to organize them. It'll be like any other day."

"Ok, so we need to find Jonny," I said, "What sector he's in right now, what job he works, where he usually is during break, anything useful."

"I'll try my best," Edd nodded. He left and returned a few minutes later with two files.

"Why do you have two?" Eddy asked.

"Did the squid-y aliens clone Jonny?" Ed asked.

"Actually, as well as searching up Jonny, I decided to look for Sarah's file," Edd explained.

"Lemmie see!" Sarah said, snatching her file from Edd's hands. She opened it, "Name: Sarah Eliza Hunter. Family: Mom, Dad, brother (Ed). Enjoys playing with dolls, hanging out with Jimmy, playing games.' All basic infoma-"

Sarah gasped.

"What is it, Sarah?" I asked, peering over her shoulder.

"'Wanted: Dead or Alive'!" Sarah cried fearfully, "The prize is twenty bushels of carrots and two chickens."

" _Dead_ or alive?" Eddy frowned, "Jeez."

"Baby sister dead?!" Ed cried, wrapping his arms around Sarah protectively.

"We gotta be really extra careful, then," I said, frowning. Sarah, _dead_? I couldn't even imagine…

"Ok, what's it say on Jonny's file?" Eddy asked, changing the subject.

"Let's take a look," Edd opened the file and read for a minute, "Ok, he's in sector G, works in the animal barn-"

"Lucky," I grumbled.

"-and is usually in his home quarters during his free time," Edd continued, "Is in the Urban Rangers club. Also enjoys hanging out at the market, trading for acorns?"


End file.
